SRT® (Street and
Racing Technology) Motorsports driver Marc Goossens captured the GTLM class pole for Saturday’s 52nd
running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona with a fast lap of 1:44.506 in the No. 91 Viper in Thursday’s qualifying
session.
Close
behind Goossens, fellow SRT driver Jonathan Bomarito was the third-fastest GTLM
entry in qualifying with a quick lap of 1:44.617. By virtue of qualifying
first and third, the SRT Motorsports Viper GTS-Rs will start nose-to-tail on
the inside row for the 2014 edition of the endurance race.
In practice, the No. 93 SRT Viper GTS-R team was fastest in
both the afternoon and evening sessions with times of 1:45.016 and 1:44.992,
respectively. The No. 91 SRT Viper GTS-R team recorded a best time of
1:45.233 in the afternoon practice.
Following Thursday’s qualifying session and trio of practice
periods, the team will return to the track for a final, 60-minute practice
session on Friday at 11:30 a.m. EST before the Rolex 24 At Daytona begins on
Saturday at 2:10 p.m. EST.
* SRT® (Street and Racing Technology) Motorsports
Viper GTS-R driver Marc Goossens captured the GTLM pole for Saturday and
Sunday’s Rolex 24 At Daytona with a fast lap of 1:44.506 in the No. 91 Viper in
Thursday’s qualifying session.
* The No. 93 SRT Viper GTS-R team qualified third in class
with a time of 1:44.617 with driver Jonathan Bomarito behind the wheel at
Florida’s Daytona International Speedway.
* The pole was the first for Goossens with SRT
Motorsports. His co-driver, Dominik Farnbacher, captured one pole in the
No. 93 SRT Viper GTS-R in 2013 (Long Beach), while the No. 91 RT Viper GTS-R
claimed two poles in 2013 (Mosport and Road America) with Bomarito at the
wheel.
* In addition to qualifying, the SRT Motorsports team
participated in three practice sessions on Thursday – a morning, afternoon and
evening session – with the No. 93 team posting a best time of 1:44.992 in the afternoon
session where they were fastest in class. The No. 91 was the fastest GTLM in
the afternoon session when they posted their top time of the day (1:45.233).
* On Wednesday, SRT Motorsports drivers participated in
local community events. Marc Goossens and Kuno Wittmer visited a group of
children at Florida’s Camp Boggy Creek that morning. Jonathan Bomarito
and Dominik Farnbacher spent time with patients at the Halifax Health
Speediatrics facility, an in-patient pediatric unit, with the Austin Hatcher
Foundation in the afternoon.
* Kuno Wittmer, a triathlete, also participated the
RacersWhoRide.org charity photo opportunity in the Daytona International
Speedway Victory Lane to promote cycling safety on Wednesday.
* Following the evening practice, the SRT Motorsports Viper
GTS-Rs will next participate in a final practice for the Rolex 24 on Friday,
Jan. 24.
* The Rolex 24 At Daytona will serve as the inaugural event
for the new IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with a start time of 2:10
EST on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Marc Goossens,
driver, No. 91 SRT Viper GTS-R
How did it feel to capture the GTLM pole for the first race
of the United SportsCar Championship?
“The car felt good all day long and we’ve been working both
on speed and trying to make the car easier in traffic, which we tried in the
earlier sessions. It’s always hard to find out what the others have up
their sleeve for qualifying, but we kind of knew early on we had a good
car. We didn’t know if it was good enough to be third or first. We were
on a good run at the end of last year and we carried that into this year and
our team has only gotten stronger in all different areas and it’s just awesome
to be here with SRT Motorsports on pole for the first race of the year.
There’s no better way to start the season! It was a good run by the 93
(Jonathan Bomarito) too and you can tell it’s very close in GT and it could go
any way. Having the pole is not the most important thing for a 24-hour
race, but it helps – it boosts the confidence for the whole team. I think
it’s a good starting point to get a good first 24-hour race.”
What does this say
about your team?
“We’ve come a long way within, let’s say a year and a half,
with this program. The 24 Hours of Daytona is always a special event and
to start the new championship, the new year, with a pole position is something
that we’re all proud of and the credit goes to the whole team. It’s not
just the driver who is behind the wheel for that fast lap. But now we
have to carry that whole spirit into the race and be there on Sunday
afternoon.”
Jonathan Bomarito,
driver, No. 93 SRT Viper GTS-R
How was the team’s qualifying effort?
“I think everybody with Team SRT is very happy to be
starting this year’s 24 first and third on the grid. Qualifying is great
for the team and the guys and provides momentum going forward for the
race. It gives you that little extra pump of adrenaline and energy and
optimism. It’s a long race in the end. Qualifying doesn’t mean a
whole lot for a 24-hour race other than the inside and momentum for the guys.”
Dominik Farnbacher,
driver, No. 91 SRT Viper GTS-R
Did you enjoy the visit to the Halifax Speediatrics unit on
Wednesday?
“It was good to work together with the Austin Hatcher
Foundation at the Halifax hospital. It was good to see those little kids
smile when we worked on those pinewood cars together. It really feels
good to take some time and hang out with those kids. We had quite a lot
of fun crashing the pinewood cars on the ramp. Eric reminded me of myself
because I was always trying to crash the cars, so he was more or less a little
reflection of myself.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay,
driver, No. 91 SRT Viper GTS-R
Has the car improved since the Roar?
“Knowing how hard these guys have worked since the test and
how good the car was at the test, we’ve definitely made it better. I’m
just really proud of the team for putting it there. Qualifying is not the
end all be all for a 24-hour race, but certainly it’s indicative of all the
hard work we’ve put in and, hopefully, of the pace to come in the race.
I’m just really happy to be here with SRT with this driver line-up and
really proud of Marc. Marc’s still the quickest guy out there after all these
years.”
Kuno Wittmer, driver,
No. 93 SRT Viper GTS-R
Was the evening practice productive for the team?
“I think it went well. The car is really good.
It’s very good driving at night with the Viper. You can see very well at
night. The car has good lights on it. Not anything out of the
ordinary tonight and I think we have a very good package. Coming from
qualifying, we have a very good package for the race. The car is
consistent and very good on and off our line, so we should be pretty
nice. Driving at night is always something that’s different for the
driver compared to the nighttime. It’s definitely a period of adjustment
for the eyes, you have to get your brain adjusted too and just recognize your
reference points when you’re on track. I think we’ve got the right
package right now.”
Rob Bell, driver, No.
93 SRT Viper GTS-R
What are your thoughts on the team’s qualifying performance?
“It’s great to start the year with a pole, isn’t it?
They both (Marc Goossens and Jonathan Bomarito) did a great job. It was
close between the top four or five cars, so Marc did a great job to pull it out
with some really serious company here.”
What does this pole
mean for the team?
“It’s more a statement of intent really. In a 24-hour
race, yeah it doesn’t really matter, but we all want the pole and anybody who
says they don’t is lying. It means the car has come a long way and we’re
near where we want to be and this bodes well for the rest of the year. It
gives everyone a pat on the back for the hard work during the winter and a bit
of confidence.”
Ralph Gilles,
president and CEO of SRT
How important is this pole for SRT Motorsports?
“It’s a great accomplishment to come down to Daytona and
take the pole for this historic event and the first race for the new series. It
speaks to the development of this SRT Motorsports team in just a few short
years and shows where we’re headed. It took a lot of work to get to this point
and we have great momentum moving forward. But we also know this is a 24-hour
race that isn’t won on the first lap, so we certainly still have work ahead of
us to be successful in this endurance race.”
Bill Riley, lead
engineer, No. 91 SRT Viper GTS-R
What did you think or your team’s performance in qualifying?
“It was really good to get the No. 91 on the pole and get
the No. 93 Viper GTS-R up there. It gives us a lot of momentum going into
the race. We kept the drivers in the car all day to work on setup.
We tuned the car and worked really hard between the Roar and now to improve the
cars and we did with setup and different changes. The guys really haven’t
had a day off since we left Daytona, or left Petit (Le Mans) for that
matter. It’s really good to have it all pay off. Now we just have
to put our heads down and work on execution and hopefully have a nice, clean
race and go from there. Right now, it really couldn’t be better.”
Matt Bejnarowicz,
lead engineer, No. 93 SRT Viper GTS-R
How pleased are you with your team’s qualifying session?
“I don’t think it could get any better than that,
honestly. We’ll be the first two teams in our column, so they can work as
a team and work the first part of the race to get a good start. Couldn’t
have planned it better if I was trying.”
Does the qualifying result speak to the growth of the SRT
Motorsports program?
“It’s pretty incredible. It really just speaks to the
people behind it. The team has been working their butt off.
They’ve had about two days off since the end of last season. I’m really happy
for them because it’s justification for all their hard work to put the cars in
front. The drivers, the crew, the engineering staff – everybody has just
been pulling together and they’re all working on the same mission. I’m
really just happy for the whole team.”
Gary Johnson, SRT
racing manager
How was today’s qualifying effort?
“Fantastic job by the entire SRT Motorsports team.
Marc (Goossens) really put down a great lap and we were trying to get the
top-two positions, but we just missed that. Overall, we’re really looking
forward to the race. It’s going to be 24 hours of struggle of course, but
I think we’ve obviously got a great chance for a win.”
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